University of California, San Diego Scholarships for International Students 2026

Most UC San Diego scholarships are tied to being enrolled in a UC San Diego degree program (which is typically campus-based), like Jerónimo Martí Vértiz (M.Eng. Bioengineering) and Anupam Anand Ojha (PhD).

Across the university, scholarships and funding can apply to a wide range of subjects (often “any subject” depending on the award), including STEM and engineering, business/entrepreneurship, humanities, and more. In the Global Scholarships recipient stories, UC San Diego examples were strongly STEM-focused. Jerónimo studied bioengineering, and Anupam pursued theoretical/computational biophysics.

Engineering & STEM (including biomed/bio): Jerónimo emphasized both academics and research—“I kept good grades… (GPA ~3.85 in both),” but also said “my research experiences were more important than my grades.” Anupam similarly highlighted high performance (“for graduate studies, it was 4.0/4.0.”) and sustained research impact.

Humanities & social sciences: UC San Diego also lists and supports prestigious scholarships that explicitly include “Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences” among their eligible areas (availability and eligibility depend on the specific scholarship).

Business: Business/entrepreneurship-related scholarships and awards exist across UC ecosystems and partner opportunities; availability is typically program- or award-specific, so check the scholarship’s subject/department rules.

Medicine (important note for international students): If you mean the UC San Diego School of Medicine (MD), UCSD states it will consider applications only from U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, and DACA recipients. If you mean medicine-adjacent STEM (biomedical science, bioengineering, computational health), international students can be eligible depending on the scholarship and program (as seen in Jerónimo’s and Anupam’s UCSD pathways).

It depends on the scholarship. Some UC San Diego-related awards are open broadly (often including international students), while others target specific groups or countries. From the UC San Diego recipient stories on Global Scholarships, examples included Mexico (Jerónimo) and India (Anupam).

Often, yes, especially for international applicants whose prior education was not in English. For first-year international applicants, UC San Diego lists minimum scores such as TOEFL 83, IELTS 7, or Duolingo 115 (policy details depend on your background and can change by case). For graduate admissions, UC San Diego lists a university-wide minimum TOEFL iBT (85) and IELTS (Band 7), though some programs require higher.

The Global Scholarships recipient stories also reflected this in practice. Jerónimo wrote: “you also must submit TOEFL iBT, GRE scores, and a statement of purpose,” and his profile listed a TOEFL iBT score of 115. If you’re seeking teaching assistant-type funding, language speaking subscores can matter even more (some TA eligibility rules specify minimum speaking subscores).

Undergraduate (first-year): UC San Diego states minimum eligibility GPAs of 3.0 for California residents and 3.4 for non-California residents (including international applicants), with no grade lower than a C in the required college-prep courses.

Graduate: UC San Diego Graduate Division policies say “at least a B average (3.0 GPA) or its equivalent is generally required,” though meeting minimums does not guarantee admission.

In the UC San Diego recipient stories, the GPAs reported were well above minimums: Jerónimo cited “GPA ~3.85,” and Anupam reported “for graduate studies, it was 4.0/4.0.” Both also stressed substance beyond GPA; Jerónimo said research mattered more, and Anupam framed competitiveness as long-term impact rather than cramming.

Most UC San Diego degree-program scholarships and funding opportunities do not have a universal age limit; eligibility is typically based on academic status (e.g., enrolled student), merit/need, and scholarship-specific criteria. The broader UC system also explicitly welcomes “older” (non-traditional) students.

Minimum eligibility depends on the scholarship, but you usually need (1) to meet UC San Diego admissions eligibility for your level (undergraduate or graduate), and (2) to meet the scholarship’s specific criteria (degree level, enrollment status, merit/need, department rules, etc.). Many scholarships also strongly favor clear academic direction and evidence of impact.

In the UC San Diego recipient stories, strong academics plus research/impact stood out. Jerónimo wrote, “I kept good grades… (GPA ~3.85 in both),” but added “my research experiences were more important than my grades.” Anupam reported top performance (“for graduate studies, it was 4.0/4.0.”) and summarized his approach: “In essence, I did not prepare for these fellowships,” because “I built the habits, the achievements, and the impact” over time.

Undergraduate (first-year) — commonly required / expected:

• UC application information, including your academic history and UC Personal Insight Questions (PIQs).
• English proficiency test scores if required by your background (e.g., TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo thresholds depend on your case).
• Official transcripts are generally submitted after you’re admitted and accept an offer (not at initial submission), unless a campus requests them later.

Graduate — commonly required / expected:

• Uploaded academic records/transcripts and a statement of purpose.
• Contact information for recommenders (letters are typically collected through the application system).
• Program-specific tests if required (some programs require GRE; others do not).
• English proficiency scores for international applicants when required (programs may set higher minimums than the university-wide baseline).

Undergraduate: UC San Diego uses the University of California application, which charges an application fee per campus (the UC admissions fee guidance lists $80 per campus and $95 for international/non-immigrant applicants).

Graduate: UC San Diego’s Graduate Division lists an application fee of $135 for U.S. citizens/permanent residents (and some other categories noted by UCSD) and $155 for international applicants (fees are generally non-refundable and department applications are paid separately if you apply to multiple programs).